This invention relates generally to metallurgy and ceramics and more particularly to the development of containers for the inductive melting of titanium and titanium alloys and the casting of articles from the molten metals.
Production of titanium castings at the present time is marked by high reject rates and significant component rework due to use of certain melting techniques, the use of particular types of equipment, the failure to secure uniform temperatures in the molten metal prior to pouring, and high reactivity between the molten metal and the materials of the crucibles and molds. Prior to this invention, the production of titanium castings in the United States has been limited to a few foundries all of which use skull melting in water cooled copper crucibles by the consumable and/or non-consumable electrode method. In the casting process, use may be made of ceramic investment molds with a nonreactive coating such as tungsten powder or graphite or molds composed of rammed graphite. These methods result in the above-noted objections which the present invention seeks to avoid.